Guantànamo detainee Murat Kurnaz released
Posted: December 1, 2006
Former Guantánamo detainee, Murat Kurnaz. © Private
On August 24, 2006, Murat Kurnaz was released from Guantánamo Bay and allowed to return home to Germany. Held for over four years, he had only ever been allowed to have contact with his loved ones through letters.
Like many others at Guantánamo, Kurnaz was detained despite little evidence to link him to “terrorist” activities. Both US and German intelligence services had acknowledged this, yet it took years to win his release.
Kurnaz, a Turkish national, was born and grew up in Germany. Because he lacked German citizenship, the German authorities had refused his return to Germany. The Turkish authorities had shown little interest in his case.
It was only after intense lobbying from his family,lawyers and Amnesty International members around the world, that the German authorities began to act on his behalf.
After his release, his lawyer said, “He is now again in the circle of his family. Their joy at embracing their lost is is indescribable.”